tel: 512 280-1192                                           Thurs, July 17, 2014
 
Nursery notes: Native Texas drought-tolerant perennials on sale.
$1.00 off lantana, thyrallis, Salvia gregii, Mexican bush sage, four-
nerve daisy and more: 1 gal. $6.99 (reg. $7.99),  2 gal. $13.99 (reg.
$14.99). Bougainvilleas: 3 gal tub and 10" hanging baskets on sale
for $19.99 (reg. $24.99); 2 gal. bougainvilleas on sale for $14.99
(reg. $19.99). And now is the time (weird as it may seem) to turn
thoughts to your fall garden - and we have plenty of peppers, tom-
atoes, pumpkins and squash in stock. Please drop by for a visit!
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 Amazing Microscopic Pics of Seeds & Pollen found in the books
'Seeds' by Robert Kesseler and Wolfgang Stuppy, and 'Pollen' by
Kesseler and Madeline Harley. Daily Telegraph
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Five Ways to Maximize your Outdoor Space: Marquette Clay’s
home is tiny, but what she did to the garden is huge. With a keen eye
for design and color, she proves that sometimes less is much more.
Southern Living
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Are crickets the next foodie trend? Seems unlikely, but Big 
Cricket Farms in Ohio is trying to introduce the interesting idea of
topping your burger with these insects, and finely grinding them
down to use as flour in cookies. crickets
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Central Texas Gardener.  Get answers to your top questions on
summertime pond care. On tour, visit a backyard stream inspired
by a garage sale find.  Sat. noon, 4 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m. www.klru  

Copper Canyon Daisies (Tagetes lemonii) are unaffected by drought.
The Drought-Tolerant Stars
By Chris Winslow

Although we have enjoyed some rains and cooler temperatures this
year, drought conditions remain with us, and as we enter these oven-
hot months, I notice my life has a certain repetitive rhythm to it:
water all day long at the nursery, drive home… and more watering!

With all these hours spent holding the hose, I’ve had ample time to
reflect on which plants are doing the best during these arid times. 

There are seven trees which stand out: Monterrey oak, Texas per-
simmon, Texas mountain laurel, Chinese pistache, Chinquapin oak,
mesquite, and Chitalpa. They all seem to thrive on little or no water
at all. They were established trees when I moved to the property in
2001, and all are native except the Chinese Pistache and the Chitalpa –
which I find loaded every day with a profusion of flowers that the
hummingbirds love.

Some perennials and grasses that are holding their own: Mexican
feather grass, miscanthus (maiden grass), muhly grass, blackfoot
daisy, lantana, thyrallis (golden showers), Salvia gregii (cherry sage),
Mexican bush sage, Copper Canyon daisy, four-nerve daisy, and
esperanza. (These perennials are on sale at the nursery. See details
under Nursery Notes.)

Perhaps the showiest plant of all is pride of Barbados. Flowering
daily throughout the summer, they are providing the butterflies
with much needed nectar.

On the herbal side, rosemary, Mexican mint marigold, garden sage,
and Mexican oregano seem to be doing just fine with infrequent,
deep waterings.

We can’t forget the yuccas and agaves. No water – no problem. I plan-
ted an Agave americana (century plant) out by my front gate 3 years
ago and without any extra water it has turned into 15 plants!

For annual color, tops are vinca-periwinkle, with purslanes and moss-
roses in second place.

For another opinion  I consulted with Jerry Hinton, a landscaper in
South Austin. Here’s Jerry’s list: Mexican mint marigold, Mexican
oregano, Mexican feathergrass, santolina, dwarf Barbados cherry,
thyrallis, silver bush germander, yaupon holly, silver ponyfoot,
and Gregg’s dalea.

With a little planning and a great number of drought tolerant and heat
hardy plants to choose from, one could most certainly create a beau-
tiful and water conserving landscape.
                                                    Happy gardening everyone!
  Visit the website: www.itsaboutthyme.com
 Visit the nursery:11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, 78748  Like us
 
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